


Mama Who Bore Me

by redspicyserenade



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Blood, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy, Recovered Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redspicyserenade/pseuds/redspicyserenade
Summary: Juno thinks his life is on the right track to being something more bearable than before,  but will his memories come back to help him continue that journey, or only cause him to crash and burn?
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko & Aurinko Crime Family, Buddy Aurinko/Vespa, Diamond/Juno Steel, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	1. Morning Glory

_Life can take you for granted, and even though you sometimes want to forget tiny bits of it, it won't ever truly go away._

Juno had woken up with this thought present in his mind. He rolled to his side to check the time.

7:30 a.m.

He sat up and went to the doorway, where he saw Rita waiting near the bathroom door for Vespa to exit. It didn't take Rita long to notice him peeking at her at from the entrance of his room.

A smile brightly began to take form on her round-like face. "Good Morning, Mr. Steel!"

"Good Morning Rita," Juno spoke with a calmness in his voice. "how did you sleep?" As he spoke the remaining of the question he had walked and stood next to her.

"It was great!" Rita exclaimed. "Franny and I watched a hour-long marathon of funny cat videos, and then I fell asleep, not before Franny though!"

Juno smiled. "I'll take your word for it."

After about five minutes, which Juno told himself was way longer than five, Vespa finally exited the bathroom. It took Rita even longer to get everything she needed done.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Rita was done, and Juno finally got to use the bathroom for anything he needed to accomplish before his day started.

A comfortable day, he thought, like almost every day he had spent on the Carte Blanche.

* * *

Every member of the Carte Blanche was sitting at the table. They were enjoying breakfast made by Buddy, which was surprising to Juno to say the least. Buddy wasn't much of a cook, but her attempt at pancakes made Juno taste heaven.

"So what's on the agenda today gang?" Nureyev asked as he placed another pancake on his plate.

"We are on our way to Perda," Buddy answered. "Where we will be obtaining supplies and tools for the ship and the Ruby7."

"I see." Nureyev responded.

"We will be arriving shortly." Jet spoke before he took another bite of his pancakes.

The rest of the morning was peaceful. Surprisingly, Vespa and Juno didn't bicker this morning like they always did. Juno sat quietly next to Nureyev, and Vespa did the same with Buddy.

It was strange to say the least.

* * *

They arrived to Perda around noon. The area surrounding them was full of rolling hills, and streams that went on for miles. It wasn't Earth, but it was very close to it.

They landed at a gas station meant for ships. Jet was the first one to exit, as he was the one who was going to refuel the engine.

Rita was the next one to exit. She went into to the little locally owned shop next to the station to see if she could find something worthwhile to burn he money on.

Nureyev went to the boutique nearby. He was sure any article of clothing he could find would make him look great even if it did need his own personal touch up.

Buddy was able to find a flower garden, and so her and Vespa decided to get some fresh air and talk about what ever they wanted to pass the time.

Juno was the last one leave the ship. While trying to find a spot he stumbled upon a cáfe in the town square. It was tiny, but what was on the inside made up for the space.

The smell of cinnamon filled his line of smell when he entered. It was somewhat quiet, which was something he grew instantly fond with. He decided to place a order for the Carte Blanche, because he didn't know how long it would be until they came upon the next stop. A lady of the same height was waiting for him to take his order.

"Good afternoon," she spoke when Juno came up to the counter, "m'name's Vashti, what can I get for you today?"

"I'll have a dozen of your apple fritters, two gallons of apple cider, and a kid's wonder box with an extra brownie."

"I'll have that coming right up for you in just a few minutes hun!" With that she disappeared into the back to prepare Juno's order.

Juno backed up from the counter and ended up next to a woman who was also waiting for her order.

She turned her face towards his and began to speak. "I assume you have a child?"

"You _could_ say that." He responded.

"I had a child once," she told him, "but I wasn't given the chance to know him for long."

Once she said that the ambience of a hospital began to flood into Juno's thoughts. It was the sound he never wanted to hear again. It brought back memories of regret and oblivious youth to him, and they seemed like remaining and causing havoc.

Juno was in a frozen state while the thoughts wrapped around him like..a baby swaddled in a baby blanket. It was only broken when the cashier was telling him that his order was ready.

"Ma'am!" She exclaimed. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Juno spoke, which was followed by a smile.

"You're order is ready."

Juno had already paid, so he took the three boxes stacked evenly from her. "Thank you."

"Come back any time."

* * *

Juno was making his way back to the ship. His thoughts decided to go back to those memories Juno wanted to forget. Ones that he knew would only cause trouble if he spoke of them again.

Juno never wanted to relive the mess, but his mind told him he had to.

Juno was bound to prove it wrong.

  
  



	2. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno finds time to relax, but in reality, is he ever given the chance to sit down and really think about himself?

Juno made it back to the ship it less time than it took to leave it. He set the boxes on the table and looked out the window. The first thing he saw was a hill in the near distance, one in which provided flowers to the sun's basking light. _Something_ in his mind gave him the glorious idea to travel to that flower patch and let his mind flow in equilibrium with the soothing breeze coating the land for miles around.

Once he left his presence on the ship, he locked it, and started on his way to the place in which his eyes became fixated on. It was a little cooler outside than it was when they arrived that afternoon, and the sun in the sky was deciding on whether to turn into sunset, or to remain high and mighty for a little while longer.

The smell of the nature brought a sense of security to Juno. Although he knew little of the planet, to him he felt as though it was ready to open it's arms to him once he arrived. Everything around him felt authentic, like tears of joy for accomplishing a goal after years of hard work, or when someone decides to change their life for the better.

It took him about 15 minutes to reach the hill that was located in a park. There weren't many people when he arrived, which was something he found comforting. He climbed a small pathway located on the hill, and found a spot where he could sit without crushing the flowers. They were yellow geraniums that Juno could easily see over, and ones that didn't hurt his eyes by the reflecting sunlight.

Juno felt a wave of calmness rush over him as he let all of the possible stress he could reach wash away. He fixated on another set of rolling hills in front of him. Ones that were right past the ship, which he paid no attention to.

His mind began to go through shelves of memories until it picked one for Juno to remember clearly.

* * *

The sun was shining high in the sky. Deciding on whether or not to remain morning or to shift into afternoon. It was dangerous, many claimed, to be outside of the dome that held Hyperion City inside, but many at the time couldn't care less. It was spring, though, and the flower fields on Mars were in full bloom. In some way or another, Earth's essence was growing on its neighbor planet. They were full of both color and life. Just like many of the youth living there in those days.

Two figures stood in a field of red asters that grew for miles around. Moments like these were rare, for they worked for the HCPD and were always on call.

The taller of the two was Diamond. They were lean in their figure, and sported hair that fell a not too far past their shoulders. Even though some say it is the complete opposite, Diamond's clothes were the one thing that help them keep Hyperion City on track.

The shorter of the two was Juno. He was lean in his figure as well, and his hair was as tameable as he could get it that day. His clothing was different for his usual norm, as he was wearing an outfit so pretty it could make the season of spring cry tears of rain.

Diamond had set up a picnic for the both of them. They included foods that they both enjoyed. The blanket placed on the ground was a big as a wooden table. It was light yellow in color, and soft to the touch.

"What do you think?" Diamond asked Juno with a soft look and warm demeanour in their tone.

"I think it's nice," Juno responded, "but you didn't have to do all of this. We could've gone to that sandwich place in Hyperion with the great view."

Diamond began removing their shoes and sat them next to the picnic blanket. "I know, but I thought this would be more special!"

A look of sadness fell over Juno's face. "I don't deserve this, babe."

Diamond turned his face to see the sadness in his eyes. "Juno, you need a break. I know you want to help the people of our city, but you don't want to burn yourself out."

"I understand," Juno responded, "but after everything that's happened, I don't think I deserve to be happy again."

Diamond had enough of the negative energy flowing through Juno, so he got up and went to give Juno a hug. "Listen to me," Diamond began, "all of that stuff happened in the past. Your mother, your brother..it's done with. I know you want to keep grieving, but at some point you have to move on. It's what Benzatien would've wanted."

He was right. Ben would have wanted him to move forward no matter what. He knew his brother, and he he knew his brother wouldn't want him to stay like this forever. Juno broke the hug and smiled. "You're right," Juno spoke, "this is what he would've wanted."

"See," Diamond responded, "now we're on the right track to being better! Come! Sit with me on the picnic blanket so we can enjoy our lunch!" They made a signal with their hand for Juno to join them.

The smile remained on Juno's face while he took his shoes off and let his feet feel the soft grass below him. He made his way to blanket and took a comfortable seat.

* * *

They had been there for a while, so Diamond decided to go forward with the big reveal of their plan.

"Hey Juno, can you do something for me real quick?" Diamond asked.

Juno looked up from his meal and into his lover's eyes. "Sure, what is it?"

"Can you go pick me a few pink asters from that patch over there?" They pointed to a patch of them nearby.

"Of course." Juno got up and made his way to patch not to far from where they were.

While Juno had his back turned and his focus on the flowers, Diamond pulled out a ring box with lovely solver engagement ring inside. They hid it so that Juno couldn't see it when he came back.

It didn't take Juno long to pick the flowers. He was back in no time, and when he arrived back his switched the hand of which he held the flowers.

'Okay so, there weren't many, but I got a few of them!" A smile appeared on Juno's face.

"There's one more thing I got to ask you!" Diamond got up and fell to one knee. He pulled out the ring box and opened it so Juno could see the ring.

"Will you marry me?"

Juno froze right then and there. He never thought someone would ask him a question like this. All he was that his world was going to get brighter, and the tears were forming in his eyes.

"Yes!" Juno exclaimed, and he ran with open arms in to Diamond's waiting hold. It was nice when he arrived. It was something he felt was renewed. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Juno pulled himself from the hold and kissed Diamond with his soft lips. The world stood still as they continued to kiss, which Juno wanted to last forever.

Diamond pulled from the kiss and pressed their hands on Juno's face. "I love you babe."

"I love you too!" Juno got up and did a little twirl.

"Why don't you go tell Rita, and I'll clean up the picnic."

"Are you sure you don't want me help you?" Juno asked.

"I've got it."

Juno bended down and kissed Diamond. He proceeded to put on his shoes and make his away back to his car.

"Hey!" Diamond called out, which prompted Juno to turn around. "Come over to my house so we can celebrate!~"

Juno smiled. "I will!" He continued on his way to the car.

He thought his life was going to get better and brighter, but what he didn't know was that it was only going to get a little meaner.

* * *

Juno broke his train of thought when he realized that everyone was probably back at the ship waiting for him. So he decided it was time to head back. He got up and began walking down the hill and back to the ship.

Why, out of all the memories, did **this** one revive itself?

Was it just a coincidence because he was relaxing in a flower field with a nice view?

Was it fate trying to contact him?

Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't going to get better.

He had to come up with a way to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is a reference from the musical Hadestown and the song "Flowers".
> 
> \- serenade


	3. It Takes Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno's youth continues to make it's presence known to Juno, but will it bite off more than it can chew?

Juno made it back to the ship in enough time to enjoy dinner before it began turning cold. It was made by Buddy, who surprised Juno in her cooking abilities. The food he ate was a unfamiliar rendition of a shepard's pie, but without the meat. It was one of the only foods that Juno' s taste buds fell in love with.

"This is amazing," Rita admired, "where did you find a recipe like this?"

"My mother created it," Buddy remarked, "she didn't favor meat, so she put her own spin on it."

"My complements to the chef and her mother," Nureyev spoke, "very well done!"

The entire table was full of positive energy. They shared their stories of what they accomplished that day. Buddy and Vespa spending time in the flower garden. Rita exploring the little mom and pop shop she found. Even Juno spoke fondly about the hill full of flowers he found in a park nearby, leaving out the instance of a tucked away memory entering his train of thoughts.

They sat there for a good hour and a half. Continuing to talk about their day or whatever came to mind. Juno didn't want it to end. He never had the chance to experience something like this before. Being able to sit down with his family and just talk. Moments like this were the ones Juno loved the most.

* * *

It was late in the evening. The ship had left the gas station a while ago and now it was looking for a place to park for the night. The carte blanche was going to remain on Perda for the next few days, they just had to find a better place to park the ship.

Some of them were currently in the entertainment quarter, where they were watching a stupid television show that Rita had happened to find while searching through the channels. Jet, Buddy, and Vespa had already gone to bed, while there rest of them were left up to their own devices.

Juno didn't feel like figuring out the plot of the show for himself, nor did he want Rita to explain it to him, so he decided to make the move and be the next one to retire to their room. Juno stood up from his chair and stretched his body the best he could. "I'm heading to bed."

"Alright," Nureyev soothed, "sleep well."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Rita exclaimed in a soft but caring tone.

Juno made his way back to his room in no time. It wasn't very far from where he was, which he was glad about. He changed into his pajamas, which were dandelion in color, and got into bed.

He closed his eyes and made an attempt to quickly fall asleep, and in that process his mind once again went through his shelves of memories and picked on out for him to remember.

* * *

The sky was the color of a crow, or at least it made an attempt to be with the dome surrounding the people who were looking at it. Most of them referred to it as the color of a darker kind of denim, due to the dome residing itself over Hyperion City having a blue tint.

Juno arrived at Diamond's house at a decent time. 8 pm. He was wearing a pretty dress that was ruby in color. It was comfortable enough for him to do anything in it without being too restricting. One of his favorites that he only wore on special occasions.

He rang the doorbell to his lover's apartment. Time didn't make him wait long, for Diamond opened the door mere seconds after Juno rang it. "Why, look at you, Juno" Diamond admired, "you look beautiful."

"Aw babe," Juno gushed, "you're too kind."

Diamond lifted their arm and motioned for to Juno to enter. When Juno did he began to smell cinnamon, which was coming from a candle Juno got them for their birthday. A bottle of wine and two glasses sat on the countertop located in the middle of the kitchen waiting for them.

"I bought us some wine," Diamond acknowledged, and picked up the glass and began to fill Juno's cup, "it's the good kind too."

"What kind is it?" Juno asked.

"Portland. I didn't want to get something too strong, so I bought this one."

"I've heard mixed feelings about it."

"I've had it before, and it's not so bad." They hand Juno the glass of wine.

Juno takes a sip and smiles. It tastes sweet like raspberries in the summertime. It reminds him of earlier that day, where him and Diamond had picnic in the flower field while the sunlight shone onto them. It was welcoming.

"So," Diamond wondered, "how does it taste?'

Juno's smile got a little wider. "Amazing."

* * *

By 10 pm the entire bottle was empty. Diamond got Juno to drink almost the entirety of it. They were both wasted, but Juno was more wasted than Diamond.

"What do you want to do now?" Juno asked them with slow tone in their voice.

"I don't know about _you_ ," Diamond laughed, "but since we're engaged, we celebrate as if we're on our honeymoon.~"

Juno's eyes lit up. "You mean...with our bodies?" Juno put his hand on Diamond's shoulder.

A smile continued to remain on their face as they picked up Juno and placed him over their shoulder. "Exactly what I mean!"

"O-Okay!" Juno responded with as he looked at the wall behind Diamond.

Juno doesn't remember the rest of that night. The next thing he remembers, though, is waking up the next day in Diamond's bed with a headache. He had three messages from Rita. One from the night before asking how the night was going, and two wondering where he was because he didn't show up to work on time. He kissed Diamond, who was still sleeping, on the forehead and made his way back home.

When he arrived home, he put on his work clothes and went to work with a hangover, although it wasn't the first time. Surprisingly, his boss didn't yell at him, since it had been fairly quiet and nothing had happened in the past two days, which was shocking considering they were in Hyperion City. Rita, on the other hand, attempted to give Juno a firm talking to about the dangers of over drinking.

* * *

Juno woke up the next morning facing the window. His opaque curtains blocked out most of the sunlight. A small strip of sunlight shone onto his face due to it being the part where it separates. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and thought about the memory that invaded his mind.

"What the hell?"

Juno was completely lost. He couldn't understand why he was having these memories, then he remembered the THEIA Spectrum. Maybe it had took these memories, which it realized caused pain towards Juno, and put them somewhere where he couldn't find them to remember. It didn't delete them or cover them up with false ones, it just hid them, and now that it's no longer present, they're slowly coming back to Juno.

Juno thought to himself about these memories that were slowly drifting back to shore.

Surely they couldn't get worse, _right_?

"That's probably the worst of them."

He got up from his bed to put his clothes on, and made his way to bathroom where this time he was behind Jet.

"You're up early." Jet commented.

"I didn't sleep well."

"I see," Jet responded, "I'm making breakfast so hopefully it will make your morning better."

Juno sighed. "I sure hope so."


	4. At First Glance

The breakfast, much like dinner the previous night, was _amazing_. Jet had made a cinnamon roll bake that, some say, could be smelled from planets around. It was an original recipe that Jet had created back in his 'golden days'. It tasted like home, a taste that Juno was never given permission to receive.

Jet turned his head to face Vespa. "What's on the agenda today?"

"We have to head to the hospital and gain medical supplies for the ship."

"Why didn't we just get a first aid kit from the gas station?" Juno butted in.

A small frown full with annoyance appeared on her face. "With the amount of people on this ship a first aid kit isn't going to cut it, and in summary, we need stuff that contains better quality."

"Oh." Juno spoke softly.

Everyone was at that table. Everyone except Nureyev. It was unusual for him to be the last one to wake up. From a majority of what Juno knew, he only did this if he wasn't feeling well.

It wasn't a long time after this thought that Peter finally appeared to the rest of the gang. He was dressed, but if you looked at him long enough you could tell he was disheveled. "Good morning gang!" He walked past Rita's chair and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Are you feeling alright?" Rita asked as Nureyev took his first sip from the cup.

"I am," Nureyev began, "I just have a headache that's all."

"You look like you have more than a headache." Buddy pointed out.

Rita smiled. "We're going to a hospital so maybe they'll check you out."

As they were talking Juno's mind began to wonder once again. _What_ was it this time? A thought about Nureyev? A bad case scenario? Another memory? Whatever it was going to be, he hoped it wouldn't do too much harm.

* * *

It's been a month since Diamond and Juno's "Night of Intimacy". Nothing too important had come from it other than the fact it gave Juno the realization that they truly were meant for each other. They were in their beginning stages of planning their wedding, so they were still working on the basics of their budget.

Juno was feeling under the weather that morning. He sat at his desk and drank the coffee from his cup, thinking it would calm his headache down. Little sleep that night didn't help either. There was a knock on his door, and Puck Falco entered to see Juno and his disheveled mess.

"Good morning Juno." Puck began.

Juno looked up from the case files. "Good morning Puck, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Puck spoke, "how 'bout yourself?"

"I've seen better days."

"I can tell. Hey, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need you to locate the minor paperwork about the current operation so that we can set up a meeting and move forward with the court case."

"I'll get right on that." Juno spoke as Puck made his way out of the room. It returned to being total quiet for what Juno thought would be hours, but not long after Rita entered his room.

Rita was looked down at the folders in her hands and the to Juno. "Good morning boss I thought I'd-" She paused. "Mista Steel you don't look too good."

"I'm fine Rita."

"You don't look fine! And I know what fine looks like, and you're not it, and-"

"I'm great Rita!" Juno exclaimed in an attempt to get Rita to stop her ranting.

"You need to go to the doctor's office!"

"I just need some simple medicine that's all!"

"You need something other simple medicine!"

Juno, in a furious state, stood up from his chair and exclaimed. "WHAT IS THERE OTHER THAN SIMPLE MEDICINE!?"

Rita jumped back due to the shock and power in his voice.

"Oh," Juno somewhat saw the fear in Rita's face and took a breath, "Rita, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Rita cautioned, "what I was going to tell you was that if we go to the doctor they can give you medicine that you can't easily get at the store."

"I don't know any doctors."

"I can take you to mine! They're very up to date and they it's easy to book an appointment! I can book one for you boss!"

Juno thought about it for a second. "Sounds good Rita."

"I get right on that!" With that, Rita had left the room to schedule the appointment as soon as she could.

Whatever this was, Juno thought, he knew the doctor could help. He never had regular access to one, so he wondered how different it could be. Probably not that different, he had gone to one a few years.

Hopefully they would tell them that the sickness he had was just a common cold and not something worse. He probably caught it while working on the case.

* * *

Juno was staring down at the table when Buddy finally got his attention. "Hm?"

"Darling, we've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Good, because we're heading to the hospital now."

"Okay!" Juno got up and placed his plate in the sink.

Again, another memory? He began to feel like he need to personally fight in order for them to stop.

But then again, would that do any good?

After all, he'd done that before and it didn't work.

Would it be worth it if he fought back?

It's a possibility that he was willing to try out.


	5. Congratulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hospital isn't far away from the ship, but will Juno's mind be able to keep up with his body?

From where the ship had parked itself, the hospital was only a few blocks away. Although walking wasn't an issue for any of them, Juno wasn't in the mood to walk, was most likely three blocks, to the hospital and gain supplies for their travels.

"Why did we all have to come with you?" Juno asked Buddy as the came upon a right turn in the sidewalk.

"Because we are going to need all the hands we can get, plus, we're given the chance to get some more fresh air."

Juno rolled his eyes. "If you can call it that."

"She was only trying to lighten the mood!" Vespa grumbled.

Juno turned to face Vespa. "Yeah, well, if you didn't waste all of our supplies we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"If I didn't waste the supplies?" Vespa criticised. "You're the one who thought it would be a great idea to-"

" **ENOUGH**!" Buddy announced from behind the two of them. "That's enough you two, I can send you back if I have to."

The two of them went from sounding like alarms on a cellphone to the dead silence in a forest at night.

"That's better."

Juno didn't favor bickering with Vespa, but without it he assumed he wouldn't be able to get his point across with Vespa. He brushed it off and let his mind travel far into crypts of memory to see if he could stop one before it flooded his mind. It began to flood in, and although he attempted to build a dam to block it out, it destroyed it as soon as it touched the wall.

* * *

Two days ago Rita offered to take Juno to the doctors, which he agreed. Two days ago she set an appointment, and today was the day of reckoning, as Juno called it.

The waiting room was small. Plastic flowers and magazines were scattered throughout the room. Juno found it warming as he followed Rita to the front desk.

"Hello," the receptionist, whose name tag read Dani, spoke when she noticed them appear at the desk, "how may I helo you today?"

"We're here for an appointment!" Rita acknowledged.

"What is the name of the patient?,

"Juno Steel."

"Ah, I see," Dani began, "have a seat and you'll be called in a moment."

"Alright!" Rita went to find a seat, and Juno followed behind.

Juno looked at Rita, who was searching through the magazines to find the perfect one. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be," Rita affirmed, "they won't hurt you! They're very calm and will help you no matter what you have!"

"Oh." There was a television on the wall in front of the two of them, so Juno decided to somehow take his mind off of the stress and onto the news which was currently playing.

It was before long that Juno was called back.

"Juno Steel?"

"That's me!" Juno stood up made his way over to the lady who was holding the door open for him.

"Follow me right this way."

Hopefully they'll just tell him that he has a cold.

That's probably what it is.

* * *

Juno sat on exam table and waited for the doctor. His nervous were playing duck duck goose on whether or not to go haywire. Just as he thought he was going to be in there for a long time, the doctor finally came in.

"Hello there," she spoke as she closed the door and sat down in her seat," my name is Doctor Shelley, pleas state your full name and the month and day of your birth."

"Juno Steel, December 24th."

"Have you had any procedures in the past couple of years that we need to take into consideration?"

"I began my transition when I was 17 with hormones, and I got my surgery when I was 18. When it was complete I was told there would be a very low chance of being able to get pregnant."

"I see," she takes note of his comment on her paper, "what seems to be the problem for you today?"

"Well," Juno began, "I've been feeling sick for the past couple of days, and I've had a headache since it began, so I think I have the flu, but I wanted to check just to be sure."

Doctor Shelley wrote everything Juno said on her paper. "Well, from what you are telling me is that you are sick and might have a possible virus, so I'm going to have you take an urine sample to get that out of the way, and once your done with that, you can come back so we can take some more small tests!" She hands Juno the plastic cup. "There's a bathroom to the left."

"Alright." Juno responded.

It didn't take Juno long for him to hurry back and continue with the tests. There weren't many, and Doctor Shelley was done in no time.

"Alright," Doctor Shelley verified, "just wait here and I'll have your results back in to time!"

"Okay."

With that she left Juno alone in the room. It was almost completely silent, with the acception of the clock that continuously ticked on the wall. Juno's mind began to fill its head with what felt like thousands of possibilities.

Was it a illness?

Was it his body completing an action wrong?

Was his body shutting down om him?

Juno began to break into a sweat. What if he really was dying? He didn't want Diamond and Rita to worry about funeral expenses.

Doctor Shelley came back, and a wave of relief rushed over Juno. He was finally going to get answers.

"Well, we finally got the test results back from the urine sample," she began, "and congratulations, you're pregnant!"

"What." Juno couldn't say anything else due to disbelief.

"You're going to be expecting a baby!"

" _Oh_."

"Are you alright Mr. Steel?"

"I'm fine."

"If you would like, I can discuss with you some other options."

"No, I'm good," Juno affirmed, "if you don't mind me asking, how pregnant am I?"

"Very."

"No, like, how far along am I?"

"Oh," she looked down at her clipboard, "you're almost five weeks."

"Wow."

"Do you have a doctor that you frequently go to?"

"I don't."

"Well, how about I start you on some antibiotics and give you a list of foods you should and should not eat during the rest of your pregnancy."

"Sounds good."

Juno couldn't believe the news. When the doctors told him it most likely wasn't possible, he accepted it, but now that he was, it was like a dream.

A dream he began to realize would be the next step into his future's bright light.

* * *

They made it to the hospital in 20 minutes. It was a huge building with four floors, and Juno had too look up to see the entirety of it from where he was standing.

"This is it." Buddy commented.

"What's the plan?" Nureyev asked.

"You and Juno will go to the third floor, Jet and Rita will take the fourth floor, and me and Vespa will do the second floor."

"Sounds good!" Rita emitted

The groups of three split up in an attempt to gain supplies.

What they didn't know was the challenge waiting for them inside.


	6. Let It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno is starting the process of coming to his senses, but will he get more than he bargained for?

Juno and Nureyev were on the second floor of the hospital. Deciding to take the elevator saved them a lot of time and energy than the stairs would've had. They looked around at the walls and fell into a soft trance. The walls were pale blue, like the sky, and the faint smell of jasmine filled the air.

" _Well_ ," Nureyev came out of the trance, "I wonder what section this floor of the building is dedicated to."

Juno didn't respond, as he was fixated on the paintings on the walls. Each one shared a similar color palette to the walls they were placed upon.

Something about them felt familiar to him.

Juno's brain began to make him, once again, focus on a memory, one that at one point in his life, he was forbidden to access if he needed to.

Similar to the previous time it happened, he tried to tuck it away back in its cage, but it fought back and got loose.

* * *

It had been a week since Juno found out he was going to be a mother. It was tearing him up inside from not telling anyone other than Rita, who promised not to tell anyone unless he wanted her to.

He had just started the diet that the doctor recommended to him. Cutting out alcohol, and limiting his coffee to one cup a day. Fruit and Vegetables, specifically strawberries and potatoes, was what Juno began eating more of instead of the fried food he usually ate.

Another thing that Juno's body welcomed in was morning sickness. It was like, as Juno described it, when he was in the sewers with the rabbits, and he would fall down and hurt himself in the sewage. The thing he hated the most about it was that it would happen during work. He would be in a meeting, or he would be at his desk, and he would get up and run to the bathroom before it was too late. Captain Khan complained about his frequent visitations to the bathroom, but Rita eventually told him without Juno knowing and he kept his comments to himself.

Rita told Juno that it was going to get better, but he didn't believe it for a second.

* * *

Diamond had invited Juno to dinner at his place after work. They set the table before he arrived, and had a combination of two different pastas, and wedge salad. The stuff they knew Juno liked.

Juno arrived within ten minutes of Diamond setting the table. He was wearing a soft sky blue dress that fell past his knees and had see-through sleeves.

"Hey babe," Juno spoke as he went to give Diamond, "what did you make?"

"One of your favorites! Pasta and salad."

Juno's soft smiled continued to rest on his face. "Aw, you didn't have to do that! I could've brought us a pizza!"

"I thought it would be special." Diamond responded. "Take a seat."

Juno sat across from his love. He knew he had to break the news eventually, and now, since they actually had time to sit down and talk about anything, he thought now would be the time to do so.

"Hey Diamond."

"Yes Juno."

"There's something I need to tell you.."

Diamond held a serious look on his face. The tone in Juno's voice told him it was important. "What is it?"

"I want you to be honest with with me once I say," Juno softly confided, "tell me exactly how you feel."

Diamond became slightly annoyed. "Just tell me al-"

"I'm pregnant."

The room became dead silent.

"You're _what_."

"I'm pregnant, Diamond."

Diamond was in shock. They didn't think their plan would get this far. They had to play along so that Juno wouldn't get suspicious, so a big, fake smile appeared on their face. "That's amazing!"

Small tears began to fill Juno's eyes. "It is, but I'm scared.."

"Scared of what?" Diamond asked as they took another bite of their pasta.

"I'm scared of becoming my mother." Juno got up to refill his glass.

"Oh Juno," Diamond began, "you won't be anything like her, you're gonna be better than her."

Juno took a sip of his drink and sat it on the counter. "You really mean it?"

"I do! Me, you, and the baby will be a happy family, and nothing will stand in our way!"

Juno smiled. "I love you." He fell into Diamond's open arms.

"I love you too." They wrapped their arms around Juno.

* * *

The scene began to blur and fade away as he realized Peter had been trying to get his attention.

"Juno! We can't look at paintings all day! We have a job to do!"

Juno turned his gaze from a painting of a couple dancing on the beach to Nureyev who held his hands on his hips. "Sorry, I was really invested in the painting."

"I could tell."

Juno walked towards Nureyev who was waiting for him at the end of the hall and thought about what he just saw.

What's up with these memories?

Everything seems well? 

Is someone trying to contact him through his memories?

Whatever it was, Juno knew that this was the time to take matters into his own hands.

It wasn't going to stop, so Juno was going to force it to.

Hey, it wasn't bad as Juno thought it was going to be.

He put on his inner fighting gloves and began to look for his opponent.


	7. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hallways welcome Juno with open arms, but will he be willing to accept their grasp?

The two of them arrived at the front desk that was waiting for them at the end of the hall. A lady, about Rita's height, was sitting in front of her computer and sorting through the folders on her desk. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that two figures were standing in front of her desk, waiting for assistance, so she turned her focus from her files to the two of them.

"How may I help you?"

Nureyev moved a little closer to the desk. "Could you tell us what floor we are on?"

"You are on the nursery floor."

"The nursery floor?" Peter responded.

"This is the floor were babies are born and kept."

Juno's mouth made a small frown. "Babies, huh." The word almost left a bitter taste on his mouth. He didn't know why.

"Yes, are you here to see someone?" She asked.

"We are look for supplies to keep on our ship!" Nureyev spoke.

"Oh, go left, and once you reach the nursery, make a right!"

"Thank you dear!" Peter Nureyev left the desk and began to walk down the hallway to his left. "Come along now Juno, we've got tasks to complete!"

Juno walked over to Nureyev as he got further down the hall. "I'm coming!"

Something wasn't right. 

What made him feel off when Nureyev and the nurse starting talking about babies?

The entire floor gave him a off feeling.

It was bad, and he had to figure out a way to get it to stop.

* * *

Juno was four months pregnant. Most people couldn't tell that he was because his belly wasn't showing greatly yet. He had, however, gained some weight and it was more apparent than the baby.

He hadn't spoke to Mick in a while, so he decided to meet up with him at the Pour and Floor. Sasha, surprisingly, was in town for a family event, so she decided to come as well.

Juno stood in front of the two doors at the bar. He looked up at the sign and saw the words 'Pour and Floor' glowing with the nostalgic neon letters he remembered as a kid. The smell of alcohol filled the air as the windows were open around the building.

Juno placed a hand over his stomach. "Don't worry baby, I'm not gonna drink tonight."

He entered and found Mick sitting on a wooden barstool and a shot of vodka in his hand. He turned around and saw Juno walk up towards him. "Hey JJ, how's it been buddy?"

Juno took a seat beside Mick. "It's been good Mick."

"You look like you've gained some weight."

"Wow Mick, you really know how to make a lady feel confident in herself."

"You look good! Anyway, how about a drink?" Mick proposed. It was the least he could do.

Juno frowned. "Sorry, I can't drink."

Mick smiled. "Oh, your on the new magnolia diet! I under-"

Juno interrupted him. "It's not that."

"Are you sick?" Mick took another sip of his drink.

"No, it's not that either."

Mick was feeling both confused and concerned at the same time. "Then what is it?"

"I'll tell you when Sasha gets here."

"She went to the bathroom."

"Well, I'll tell you when she gets back."

The only noise between them for a while was the ambience of bar until Sasha returned from her visit to the bathroom. "Ah, Juno, I see you've made it."

"I can say the same thing about you."

The bartender came back to the group of three.

"I'll have a classic margarita," Sasha told the bartender, "what about you Juno?"

"I'll have a glass of water."

"Jay," Mick began, the worry about his friend was increasing, "you have to tell us what's wrong."

"Fine," Juno took a breath. "I'm pregnant."

Mick Mercury spit out his drink.

"You're pregnant." Sasha points at Juno.

"I am."

Mick smiled. He couldn't believe it! "Do you know how many your having?"

"Probably only one."

The bartender arrived back at the trio and handed the two ladies their alcohol and water.

Sasha took a sip of her drink. "Have you had a ultrasound yet?"

"Not yet, me and Diamond are going to an appointment next week, and we'll see."

"How far along are you?"

"About four months."

Mick let out a laugh that started as an echo from the inside of the glass of strawberry beer he had. "Look at us! We're all growing up! Sasha has her job, and you, Juno, with your baby! Isn't it crazy?"

Juno let out a small laugh. "It sure is."

The three of them sat and talked for what seemed like hours. It ended up later into the night, so Sasha offered to give Mick and Juno a ride home in her new hover car. She dropped Mick off first, which in return he gave her a big huge before he went into his apartment.

Juno was the last one dropped off. He got out of the car and was standing by Sasha's window.

"Thanks for coming Sash."

"No problem, if you need anything feel free to call me. I'll pick up the phone ASAP."

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a safe ride home!" With that, Juno made his way back to his and Diamond's apartment, and Sasha was gone.

* * *

Juno entered the apartment and found Diamond watching television in the living room.

"I'm back." Juno called out as he was putting his shoes away.

"How was it?"

"It was good, I got to see Sasha and Mick, we talked, and I told them the news!"

"How'd they react?"

"They were excited!"

"That's good."

Juno walked into the living room and Diamond's view. "I'm going to bed!"

"Goodnight!"

Juno went to bed with positivity in his mind. Something that he silently longed for years to regain.

He didn't think about how long it would last.

* * *

The hallway was as long as a line trying to buy the newest product. It felt like it was neverending. The nursery was what seemed like a while away. They passed by doors and hallways unimportant to their task.

Nureyev looked down at Juno and noticed he appeared uneasy. "Juno, are your alright?"

Juno turned his focus towards Peter. "I'm fine."

"Alright."

The silence between the two of them got louder. Juno felt as if a million eyes were watching him and waiting for the right moment to attack. The unsettling notion that something evil was residing in the hospital was trying to lower his defences. 

It was beginning to feel cold in the hallway. It was as if it was snowing inside the building.

Juno wrapped his arms around his body. He stopped in his place, and Nureyev followed. "Do you feel that?"

"Do I feel what, Juno?"

"The _coldness_."

"It is kind of chilly in here, but I don't see it as an issue." Nureyev continued walking, and Juno followed.

The memories had to be involved with this. The THEIA had to as well. Juno felt like he was losing his mind. He couldn't comprehend anything that was going on.

Then again, ever since he arrived at Perda, he hasn't been feeling like himself.

His memories were coming back, but now that he thought about it, were they only here do cause harm?

He hoped not.

He wanted to feel happy, but this felt like it was beginning to show its true colors.

Juno had to stop it before it got worse.

He had to stop the memories.

He had to stop everything.


	8. Two Dimensional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno finds comfort in something he knew long ago, but will it come back to hurt him in the end?

The coldness continued to follow him all the way to the nursery. It was like a monster lurking in an abyss that Juno couldn't see. 

It was watching him. Waiting for Juno to make his next move.

When the two of them arrived near the nursery, Juno's gaze went to the window that allowed visitors to look at the babies on the outside. He stopped following Nureyev and changed his path to get closer at the window. 

There were over twenty babies residing in bassinets. His eyes looked at every single one of them. A set of twins, a boy and a girl, caught his eye. He began to think of sunshine, the fluffy clouds in the sky he would see every now and then, and the soft feeling of a blanket. Juno also began to feel an ache in his heart. He couldn't understand why it almost brought him to tears.

"Juno," Nureyev began, "we can't stand here and look at babies all day!"

"I know."

"Then come on!"

Juno turned his head towards Nureyev and gave him annoyed glair. "Give me a second will you!"

Peter Nureyev crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll be in the bathroom." He left Juno to his devices and headed towards the bathroom.

Juno looked back at the twins. One was awake and the other asleep. They both had hair the color of honey, and from what he could tell from where he stood, they had eyes the color of coffee.

There was something about them that Juno found intriguing. For him, trying to figure it out should have been easy, but this was the one time it wasn't. He couldn't quiet figure it out. He had been pregnant before, but, why was it important now? He didn't want to think want to think about it.

It was something he always had in his mind, but just like his brother's death, it was something he wanted to move on from.

It was something that left cracks in his will to live.

Something that he was still healing from today.

* * *

Juno was waiting in the car for Diamond. They were going to be late for Juno's prenatal appointment. There had been no issues concerning him or the baby as far as he could tell. It was just going to be a regular check-up with an ultrasound included.

Diamond came out of the complex with their phone in their hand, and entered the driver's side of the hover car. "I'm ready."

"It took you long enough." Juno acknowledged as he fastened his seatbelt.

Diamond started the car, and calming music began to play over the radio. "Shut up."

They took off to the office, which was about fifteen or so minutes away. In the meantime, Diamond switched the station from calming music to loud hardcore rock-and-roll.

"Can you turn it down _please_?" Juno asked, beginning to receive a headache from the loud vibrations of the speakers.

"Why?"

It had gotten to a point when he had to yell over the music. "Because it's too damn loud!"

"Do it yourself! You're not that weak!" Diamond shouted.

Instead of turning it down, Juno turned it off.

"I said turn it down Juno."

"It is down."

"You turned it off."

"It gave me a headache."

"Everything does. Nothing is ever good enough for you. I work hard to provide for the both of us, you're lazy and provide for nothing! You should be happy to have me!"

There was silence for a second or two. "You're right," Juno apologized, "I'm sorry."

The rest of the ride was silence. Juno thought about himself, and how terrible person he was currently being. He thought he was going to be forever happy with Diamond, but his mind was starting to suggest him small doubts.

* * *

The two of them were waiting for Juno to be called. It smelled lightly of cinnamon, and Juno was watching a modern talk show on the television while Diamond was scrolling through their phone.

A nurse came out through the opened door decorated with paper flowers. "Juno Steel?"

The both of them got up and followed the nurse into the room at the end of the hall. Juno sat on the exam table and Diamond in a nearby chair.

"Doctor Shelley will be with you shortly." The nurse with auburn hair stated as she exited the room.

"Are you excited to see the baby?" Juno asked Diamond with a smile.

Diamond didn't respond, as they was too busy being focused by whatever was on their phone.

* * *

They didn't have to wait long for Doctor Shelley to enter the room. She had her hair pulled back and a clipboard in her hand. "Hello Juno, how are we feeling today?"

Juno smiled. "Pretty good."

"Any problems or concerns?"

"None at all."

"Great," she commented, "first things first, we are going to give you an ultrasound!"

"I can't wait."

"Lay on your back for me and I'll get us started."

Juno did as he was told. He then watched her turn the machine on and pull the gel out.

"I'm going to lift your shirt up and place this gel onto your lower stomach. I will warn you, though, it is a little cold."

"I can handle it."

Doctor Shelley smiled as she lifted Juno's shirt. She placed a small handful of the gel onto him, which felt like a small icepack, and placed the transducer over it.

Diamond finally broke their trance from their phone and looked up at the sight before them.

After a few minutes a 2-D picture came up of Juno's uterus. From what he was able to see, he saw not one, but two fetus residing inside.

Two of them.

"Well," Doctor Shelley began, "it looks like you're having twins Mr. Steel!"

It felt like a dream.

Juno had began to grow small in his eyes. "Twins!"

Diamond was in disbelief, he didn't say anything, but he gave a fake smile so real that Juno believed it.

The doctor hit print, and once it was complete, turned off the machine.

"Well, since you have had no problems as of now, just stick to your diet and come back in at six months."

Juno took the paper. "Sounds good."

Twins. The word brought joy and sadness to him. He loved the idea, but didn't want them to face the same problems as he did grow up, let alone cause the death of one of them.

It was going to be okay.

He hoped everything ways going to be okay.

* * *

Nureyev was in the bathroom for fifteen minutes. Fixing up his hair the best he could and going through the plan in his mind and making sure not to file it away on accident. When he exited and made his way back, he noticed Juno was still fixated on the babies.

"You're still looking at those infants?" Nureyev spoke as he walked over to him.

"Aren't they cute?"

"I suppose." Peter looked around. Each one of them were different. Each one of them had a story to tell one day. "We must get back to the mission dear."

"You're right." Juno began walking away from the window. It, once again, started to feel cold. As if the monster caught on to him once again. It was trying to hurt him, but Juno began to realize that it was probably trying to find the perfect to do so.

What was it attracted to?

Then it started to become clear. 

It was the memories. 

It was attracted to the memories Juno couldn't control. 

They got more emotional, and the presence got worse. It was going to eat Juno from the inside out if he didn't stop them.

But how was he going to stop them if he didn't know a way yet?

He had to figure out a way.

He had to figure out a way before it hurt anyone including himself

There was no time to waste.


	9. Dressed To Impress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno finds the light in the shadows of darkness, but is it real, or just a plant for him to fall for?

The hallway they proceeded down into got colder the more further they got. To Juno, it was like a bucket of ice was poured onto him. He stopped in his place and tried to warm himself up by rubbing his hands in an up and downward motion on his upper arms. Nureyev, who had stopped as well, began doing the same.

"My, Juno, it sure is cold in here."

In an instant Juno saw a large, dark presence in the corner of his eye dart from behind them and into another hallway nearby. "What the hell was that?" Juno questioned as he turned towards the direction the entity went.

Nureyev was confused. "What the hell was what?"

"I just saw something, it was huge and dark, like a ghost!"

"Ghosts aren't huge Juno, you must be thinking of a demon."

Juno rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just follow it before it hurts anyone."

"Alright."

The two of them went down the hallway that Juno claimed it turned into. They pulled out their weapons and keep guard as they made their way down the semi-lit pathway.

Juno had to figure out what it was.

This it hit him like a freight train.

He had realized his mind had been forcing him to face it the entire duration of the trip.

* * *

Juno was six months along in his journey, and three months away from meeting his babies. At this point anybody could tell he was expecting. He had to expand his closet to new clothes for the time being due to the pregnancy, and outfits with elastics became his new best friend. He was bummed only two thirds of the process was complete. Juno wished it was a hundred percent.

It no longer felt like spring. It was the first beginnings of fall, some could say, and so the outfits were brought in and replaced summer's inventory.

Especially the wedding dresses.

Today was the day where Juno is given the chance to find a wedding dress. Rita, Mick, and, surprisingly, Cassandra were there to help him and provide constructive criticism in the process of choosing a dress. Juno asked Diamond to come, but they told him that had two important meetings to attend to that day and they couldn't get them rescheduled. He knew it was important, so he didn't think twice about it.

When the four of them entered the small building, their eyes were almost blinded by how much white they saw.

Cassandra rubbed her eyes. "It's so bright in here."

"You'll get used to it." Rita responded with a smile.

Juno turned his focus towards Mick, whose focus was on the lavender dress in front of him. "Mick, didn't you use to work here?"

"Yeah, for like three weeks."

"I assume you got fired."

"I did! I guess I wasn't a very good sales rep."

A woman with strawberry blonde hair noticed they were in need of assistance and walked over towards them. "How may I help you today?"

Rita's eyes turned towards the beautiful lady in front of her. "We're here for a wedding dress!"

The woman, whose name tag red Diana, smiled. "Who's our luck bride today?"

Juno raised his hand. "I am."

"Congratulations!" Diana pulled out a notepad and a pen from one of her large side pockets that was built into her skirt. "So, first thing first, what are you looking for in your dress?

"We're a little tight on money right now, so possibly cheap something cheap."

"When are you getting married?"

"Hopefully, in two months!"

"Hm," Diana thought for a moment. "if you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?"

"I'm six months."

"Do you have a idea of what you want you dress to look like?"

"Not really."

Diana paused for a moment. "How about we try some dresses with an elastic waistline or no restrictive qualities?"

Juno smiled. "Sounds good!"

"Great, just follow me and I'll get you started!"

Diana had gotten Juno's friends settled and was now bringing Juno back to the dressing rooms.

"Just wait in there for me and I'll bring you the first dress."

"Alright."

Juno didn't have to wait long for the first dress. Diana came back with one in under five minutes. It was white and had lace at the bottom of the dress.

She handed Juno the dress. "This one has elastic around the waist."

"Thanks."

Diana had left the room for Juno to put the dress on. When he removed his clothes he noticed the stretch marks covering his belly. "You two have done a number to me, but it's okay." He smiled as he began putting the dress on with ease.

When Juno came out it was like the word stood still. He stepped onto the platform and looked into the mirror.

Cass was the first one to speak. "I love it. I like the flowers at the bottom."

"I looks nice JJ."

"What do you think?" Rita asked Juno, whose gaze continued to remain on the mirror.

"I like it, but I don't think it resembles me. Is that bad?"

"Not at all!" Diana began. "Most people don't end up buying the first dress they try on."

Juno turned his head towards Diana. "Can I try another one?"

"Sure, just follow me!"

* * *

It felt like they had been there for hours. The next dress Juno would try on would be his fourth. It was a red dress with small yellow spiderwort flowers residing all over the dress. It also had a hood, which Juno favored.

When he came out of the dressing room, he had a big smile on his face. He walked onto the platform and looked into the mirror.

"That's really pretty boss!" Rita gushed as Juno did a small twirl in the dress.

Juno wrapped his arms around himself and placed his hands on his shoulders. "This is the one!"

"Good!" Diana commented. "I'll get the checkout started! Just wait here."

Rita, Mick, and Cassandra began a conversation with each nother while Juno continued to look into the mirror. All of a sudden, as if it came out of thin air, he felt a kick, which caused him to jump back a little and place a hand on his stomach.

"Are you alright Jay?" Mick asked, concerned.

"I just felt a kick."

"From one of the babies?"

"Yeah."

Rita stood from her chair and went to give Juno a hug. "See boss, even the twins are excited!"

"That's cute," he cooed, "but be careful with the dress!"

"I know boss."

Juno's love with the twins grew stronger in an instant. He loved them with every fiber of his being. Nothing could come between them, he thought.

A healthy home.

A fiance.

The upcoming additions to the family.

He didn't want to think about the negative.

* * *

Juno had gotten home late. Rita surprised him with dinner at The Lotus Cove, a small diner she had taken him to before. Cassandra had other business to attend to, so she left after Juno was finished at the bridal shop. Mick Mercury was there though, which was nice.

Juno entered the apartment and found Diamond disheveled on the couch eating what was the last can of soup.

"I'm back babe!"

Diamond's focus was still on the television. "How was it?"

"It was great! I found a dress, and one of the babies kicked!" He sat the dress that was wrapped in plastic on the kitchen table. "How was your day?"

"It was alright! Same old, same old."

Juno walked to him, sat next to them, and kissed their cheek. "Are you excited for next week? We're going to find out the gender!"

"I guess."

"Oh come on babe! I know you're more excited than that! Could you imagine if it's two girls! Or two boys!"

"I can see it alright." Diamond stood up. "I'm going to bed, you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute!"

"Alright!" Juno felt something was off about Diamond. Were they alright? Did something happen at work? He'd ask them when he went to bed if, if they're still awake of course.

Juno was beyond excited to find out, but the feelings of worry began to wash over him.

What if he _did_ become his mother?

Juno shook his head out of that trance.

He can't think like that.

He'll be better that she ever was.

He'll make sure of it.

* * *

"Juno, are you sure the thing we're following is real?"

"I saw it! It went this way!"

They stopped at a section of the hallway in which it splits into to more hallways. He looked around the walls for any clues.

Juno looked down at his feet and saw footprints he never seen before. It was like a bear's paw, but it had two extra toes.

Peter looked down to see what Juno was looking at, and he saw the footprints as well. "What the hell?"

Juno pointed down the hallway in which the tracks went. "Quick, this way, quietly!"

The two of them began to go down the hallway.

"The colder it gets, the closer we are to the creature." Juno whispered.

"Alright."

Juno's mind was trying to tell him something, yet he couldn't figure out what that something was.

It was like the final piece of a puzzle was missing.

Juno had the put all of the pieces together.

Except one.

One that he thought he would get by defeating the monster.

A monster that was he realized was both internal and external.


	10. One Of Each

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The monster lurks in the shadows. Will Juno be able to catch it in time?

The further down the hall they got, the stiffer the air became. Juno felt Nureyev stand closer to him when they entered a large, semi-lit room, one in which was connected to the hallway. From where they were standing, they couldn't see how far the room went back. It got to a point where the only thing they could see a few feet away from them was darkness.

"Juno," Nureyev whispered, "I don't think we should keep going."

Juno lifted his ray gun in the air. "We have to find out what this damn creature is and what it wants!"

"I insist we turn back before it we regret it!"

Juno let out a small, soft laugh. "Oh, is little Peter scared of the dark?

"No," Nureyev looked around the room, "it's just that the creature might know we're following it, and it's processing the thought of whether or not to attack us."

Juno walked a few steps forward into the room. "I don't think it wants to hurt us."

He scanned the room to look for anything that he felt stuck out. There were empty shelves. Bookshelves that had one or two books at most. Half opened crates that at one point could've had the stuff they need. 

Juno let out a small sigh. "Well Nureyev it looks like there isn't any suppli-"

Juno had turned around to give Peter the overview of what he saw, but when he turned around, Peter wasn't behind him.

"Nureyev?"

* * *

The week came faster than expected. Diamond and Juno once again were heading to a prenatal appointment. This visit, they were going to find out the gender of the twins. It was particularly cold that day, so the two of them dressed warm to protect themselves from the cold.

Juno had woken up that morning with a headache. It didn't make it any better that Diamond wasn't in a great mood either.

"Juno."

"Yes dear?"

"Do you love me?"

Juno turned to face Diamond, whose focus continued to stay on the intergalactic highway the hover car was on. "Of course I do, why would you ask that?"

"It's just that," Diamond began, "I feel like you don't care about me. I give you my heart and everything, but I feel as though it means nothing to you."

Small tears were present in Juno's eyes. "Oh babe, I do care about you. I always have. You've helped me out of a dark place, and although we have our bad days, we still love each other."

Diamond heard soft sniffles come from Juno and sighed. "You're right, I guess my negativity got the better of me."

Once again, the last few moments of a rode to an appointment was held in silence. A silence that left a bitterness is the mouths of the couple who participated in it.

A silence that presented an indicator of a future downfall.

* * *

Juno sat at the exam table waiting for Doctor Shelley to turn the ultrasonic machine on. He looked at Diamond, who was one their phone. He then looked at the painting on the wall in front of him. It was new, and it had a mother pushing a baby carriage in a big city. Juno pictured himself in the woman's place with the twins. It was a happy thought that invited itself into his mind.

"Alright Juno, just lay back and lift your shirt for me."

Juno did as he was told, and she placed the gel onto his stomach and waited for the image to load. He then turned his head towards Diamond, who was still sucked into the contents on their phone. Juno rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen.

"Well," Doctor Shelley smiled, "from what I can see, it looks like you're having one one of each!"

"A boy and a girl?"

"Yes! A boy and a girl!"

Juno turned his head towards Diamond. "Babe! We're having one of each!"

Diamond looked up. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"I'm so excited!" Diamond announced in a sarcastic way, but masked it with a fake layer of excitement.

Doctor Shelley hit print on the machine. "Well Juno, the next time I'll see you, we'll talk about the delivery process!"

Juno smiled back as he took the ultrasound photos from her. "Sounds good!"

It was all coming together. Everything was about to come into place. He was going to get married. 

The twins were almost ready to arrive.

It seemed perfect in its own special way.

* * *

The two of them were eating dinner at the table. It was lasagna, the kind that you would buy in a box when you didn't feel like making it from scratch. Juno also made a salad with vegetables the two of them favored.

Diamond finished their food rather quickly than Juno did. "Hey babe, a friend of mine wanted me to help them move. Is it alright that I head over there now?"

Juno smiled. "Of course."

"Thanks babe!" Diamond got up and kissed Juno on the forehead. They then went to put their shoes on and left without a moments notice.

Juno was left sitting alone at the dinner table. He took another bite of his food as a huge wave of emotion washed over him. He sat his fork down as his hand, on instinct, covered his mouth and tears began rolling down his face. The realization that his relationship with his fiance was possibly being torn apart due to him was like a fresh scar was tour onto his skin. Juno was softly shaking as he got up and began to walk around the room in an attempt to calm himself down.

He never felt this way before.

Why was it happening now?

He couldn't understand the meaning behind it.

Maybe, he thought, it was giving him a sign.

-

"Nureyev," Juno called out, "Nureyev, where are you?"

He looked around. 

Peter wouldn't just _disappear_ at a time like this. 

He wouldn't leave Juno at a time like this.

The fear began to rise in Juno. A fear he hasn't felt in years. A fear of helplessness, and one of which caused him to be left up to his own defenses.

Through all of this, the scent in the air began to change.

It was a smell that was supposed to be left years in the past.

The smell of baby powder.

"What the hell?"

Juno lifted his gun back into the air and moved towards the dark in front of him where he found the smell to be coming from.

Whatever was in here, Juno had to defeat it.

If it took Juno, then it could've took the others.

It was all up to Juno now to stop this.

It was up to him to stop the creature.

The creature who wants to pick a fight with his senses.

A fight Juno will win.


	11. I Can't Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno continues further down into the abyss of mystery. Will he find all that he's looking for?

Juno's lazer gun filled the room with a dull light that helped him continue further into the room. A stronger feeling of danger swept over him as he walked through a clear path that the light had showed him. The realization that he could run into the monster at any point left him more aware of his surroundings.

The coldness continued to reside with him. The same kind of coldness he felt while looking into the nursery. The kind he felt when looking at the twins. The smell of baby power got stronger, causing Juno believe he could be only a few feet near the creature.

Juno stopped in his tracks to survey the area around him that was visible to his naked eyes. He saw the prints continue in front of where he stood. His body turned to see what appeared to be a forgotten bassinet, decorated with ribbons which appeared to be withering away due to age.

He turned to his other side, and saw changing table. It looked brand new. Waiting for a baby to put it up to the test of seeing how long it could last.

Juno thought back to the memories, and the twins. The twins, which he finally remembered existed, but at the current time, their names which did not reside in his brian.

They meant something. Something in which was attempting to tell Juno something. Something, from decades ago, that left a scar in Juno's heart, brain, and psyche.

Juno stood frozen with contemplation. Thinking back through, what seemed to be like a jukebox of his memories, to find the right one. The one that would all of these occurrences come together.

While in this state, he heard a noise come from the dark in front of him.

The noise of a baby crying in distress.

* * *

It had been eight months since this entire journey began. 

Diamond and Juno were going to become parents.

Parents to _twins_.

Juno seemed excited, ready to prove to Sarah Steel just how much better he could be at parenting. Not making the same mistakes she did, which ended up causing the death of one her creations.

Diamond, however, seemed to be the opposite. Sure, some could say people express excitement differently, but not in this case. To Juno, they expressed to him that they shared the same level of joy as he did, but internally, it wasn't honest. One baby would've been fine, but two? Diamond wasn't fully on board.

The two of them were at The Baby Barn, a baby store tucked on the outer rim of Hyperion City where you could find almost anything you needed for a baby. Juno was wearing a cream colored maternity dress, and Diamond was wearing a t-shirt covered by a jacket.

A woman with auburn hair walked up to the two of them. "Hello there! Welcome to The Baby Barn! How may I help the two of you?"

Juno smiled. "We're just here to do some minor baby shopping."

"Are you shopping for one baby? Two?"

"Two."

"Are they two boys? Two girls."

"One of each."

"Alright, so just follow me and I'll help you find the right stuff!"

The three of them began to walk together up and down the isles. Juno made a list, so there was little problem with finding what they needed.

* * *

After an hour or two, Diamond went outside to have a cigarette. Juno and their helper, Vivian, were left up to their own devices.

"If you don't mind me asking," Vivian began as she handed Juno a set of cheap, but well made, pacifiers. "have you guys picked out any names for the two of them yet?"

"We have!" Juno responded while placing the item in the cart. "Inari and Lucina. I was researching names one day and they stuck with us."

"Those names are really cute!

The two of them finished up the last of the shopping and made their way to the check out line. Vivian offered to push the cart of items out to their car, so she followed Juno outside, where the two of them found Diamond talking on the cellphone.

"Babe." Juno called out, but Diamond didn't hear him. He walked over to them and tapped their shoulder. "We're leaving."

Diamond ended his call and looked at Juno. "I heard you the first time."

"Then come on."

Diamond followed Juno to the car and they eventually left the store.

On the car ride home, the silence from the start had been bugging Juno, so he decided to start a conversation to break it. "How come you didn't come back inside and finish helping me shop?"

Diamond sighed. "Someone called me after I put out my cigarette, and kept talking the entire time."

"Who was it?" Juno asked.

"Someone from work."

"Who?"

"Captain Khan."

"Oh."

Diamond turned the music from the radio up. They then proceeded to take a cigarette out from the box and light it with the lighter that was built into the car.

"Excuse me!" Juno said while he watched Diamond blow smoke from the cigarette out of their mouth.

"What?"

"Please don't smoke in here!"

Diamond rolled down their window and threw the cigarette out. "Fine."

The rest of the ride home, like many times before, was held in silence.

* * *

Juno sat at the couch with Diamond. They had just finished dinner, and were watching the news on their medium sized television. It was late, and Diamond decided to turn it off.

"Juno, there's something I have to tell you."

Juno turned his head towards his fiance. "What is it?"

Diamond thought about it for the next few seconds. Their answer was something that was going to hurt Juno. They decided to take the easy way out. "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Why not tell me now?"

"It'll make more sense then. How about, me and you, go to bed?" A fake smile resided on Diamond's face.

Juno smiled back. "Okay." It took him a while to stand up, but when he did, he held his fiancee's hand and followed him to their bedroom that held a nice view of the outside.

A view that Juno wouldn't get to continue enjoying for long.

* * *

Juno set his gun to stun and lifted it up to an area where the crying came from.

The crying got louder. The creature was getting closer.

Juno backed into an area where he could hide. Gun still in the air, the footsteps began turning into stomping.

Juno pulled his hand down and the stomping got closer.

The lights flickered, and then remained on.

Then he saw it.

The monster he was looking for all this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a reference to the song "I Can't Wait" from the album "What's Not Inside" by Sara Bareilles.
> 
> \- serenade


	12. Broken Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The creature is hunting their prey. Will Juno make it out before he loses the game?

The creature that Juno's mind had longed for, the treasure that caused his physical form to be led straight to it, was standing before him. Thankfully, it couldn't see him due to the boxes that were in its line of sight.

The monster had the head of a human baby. Their body was like one of a spider, and its eyes were so bright that Juno's internal ghost began to shake with fear.

It began to wail like a baby once more. It heard Juno, and now it was going after him. All eight of their legs began to move at once in an attempt to scan the room for their prey.

Juno watched the creature with his one good eye. He noticed the creature possessed fangs that were dripping venom that glowed when it hit the ground. He didn't want to think about what it would feel like if it hit his skin. He didn't want to think about the monster in general.

Yet, here he was.

This was the thing he had been led to.

This was the coldness that swept onto his body in a loop.

While he watched the beast, his mind gave him two options.

To expose himself at the current moment and fight the beast in an attempt to stop everything, or continue to watch the beast and find the right moment to do so.

Juno chose to wait and watch to see what else it had to offer.

* * *

The night had come and went. Starting with small talk, and ending with the two of them holding each other while they slept.

Juno had woken up by himself in the bed. He knew Diamond woke up early and was usually in the kitchen making a pot of coffee for the day. He sat up, stretched, and got up to switch from his pajamas to a comfortable outfit he could wear for the rest of the day.

Juno exited the room and went into the living, where he found a suitcase residing by the front door. He was questioning its placement when Diamond came through the door and saw Juno in a confused state.

"Where are you going?" Juno had asked them.

"Well, that was the thing I was going to tell you yesterday." Diamond closed the door behind them. "I'm leaving you."

Juno's world shattered into a million pieces. "You're _what_?"

"I'm leaving you."

"Why?" Tears were present in Juno's eyes, and hands ready to reach out and take the suitcase away from the one person who offered to show romantic attraction towards him when a dark cloud from his past resided over his head.

"Because I don't want this anymore! I didn't want kids in the first place! None of this was on my agenda, at least, not with you!" Diamond yelled back.

"So, what, you're just gonna leave me here to defend for myself and the babies?"

Diamond scoffed. "You'll figure it out. Sarah did."

"Do **NOT** bring her to this!" Juno was furious.

"You're the one who started this shit!"

"Me? You're the one who decided to leave! What about all we've been through?" Juno was now talking through his light sobbing. "What about the wedding, and the babies?"

Diamond picked up their suitcase. "It's not my problem anymore. So much has happened to me in these past few months, and I think I made the right choice to leave. I don't see why anyone would want to get married to you anyway! You're stubborn as hell, and you never know when to shut up! I'm lucky that I realized the truth before I saw _your_ goddamn face walking down the isle!" Diamond began walking out to the taxi he had already paid for. Juno followed behind them.

They had made it out to the taxi, and Juno tried to block the door. "You can't leave, they need you!"

Diamond grabbed Juno and tried push him out of the way. "Move you son of a bitch!"

After a while Juno could no longer keep his strength strong enough up against Diamond, so he was pushed back onto the concrete. "You're making a big mistake! Please-"

Juno couldn't stand up in time to stop Diamond from entering the car, and as soon they entered and closed the door, the car flew away.

Juno was left crying on the sidewalk. Finding difficulty in trying to stand back up, and a few bloody scars from the fall.

The only noise he heard once he was back on his feet was the chirping of robotic birds that rested in the fake trees around him.

* * *

Juno didn't hear from Diamond after that morning. Neither did HCPD. They left, and that was that. He tried calling his cell, but the number was out of service. Their position at the department was replaced soon after they left.

Juno had to move in with Rita due to not being able to pay the rent in time. Rita, of course, welcomed him with open arms and told him she'd help with whatever he needed.

Juno had to also sell a lot of stuff from the apartment in order to have enough money saved up for the babies. HCPD was no longer paying him the amount he usually got that could help him pay for expenses, so he decided to sell the most he could.

There was one thing that Juno sold away that left an ache in his heart. The baby cribs. He already had two bassinets, so he thought of just letting Inari and Lucina sleep there the entire time or until he could afford to buy them cribs again.

One night, Rita and Juno were in the living room watching a dumb game show Rita had found while scrolling through the channels. "Mista Steel, I-" She turned her head and saw him fast asleep beside her with his hands wrapped around his stomach. She smiled and placed her blanket over Juno. Rita then proceeded to turn everything off and go to bed herself.

This new way of living was something unexpected, yet it was something Juno had easily gotten used to.

He hoped, however, that it didn't remain this way for long.

Especially when the babies would be arriving soon.

* * *

The creature sat down on the floor, and Juno watched as two smaller creatures appeared out from the darkness.

Their babies.

The smaller creatures walked over to their parent and laid down beside them. They began to sing what seemed like a lullaby to them. It kind of sounded like the Ruby7.

Juno peered from the side of one of the boxes in an attempt to get a closer look at them, only to discover something else.

With what light he had he saw Nureyev wrapped up in what seemed like a spiderweb, along with Jet, Buddy, and Rita.

'What the _hell_?" Juno whispered to himself, which caused the monster to lift its head and let out a growl.

"Damn it." Juno had whispered to himself as he he sat in a squatted position.

The monster got up and screamed to their heart's content.

This was it.

Juno had to fight it.

He had to save his friends before that creature ate them.

It was now or never.


	13. Almost Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two more opponents have entered the game. Can Juno defeat them as well and let the bright light in?

The creature was turned away from Juno, so he decided to take the shot. He stood up, lifted the gun in the air, changed the setting from stun to kill, and took the shot. The beam shot straight from the gun and into the back of the monster's head, killing it instantly.

Juno watched as the two smaller creatures, those he concluded to be its babies, stood up and let out a wail simar to the one of an infant baby.

He stood up and began to make his way to another hiding spot without being seen. Juno quietly ran behind another set of boxes while keeping his eye on them.

They were his next target. 

Once they were gone, he was sure he could save them.

His family.

The only people, besides Mick, who he left in Hyperion City without telling him, he had left.

Juno wasn't going to lose them too.

* * *

Nine months.

Juno had been living with Rita for almost a month. Saving up the money he had left and the little he was given from the HCPD for whatever else the twins needed. He didn't think about having his own place to stay, and he would also forget to do things sometimes, such as take his medicine and eat, in which Rita would inform him of the consequences and Juno would eventually give in. Juno got back into drinking alcohol, but it didn't last very long when Rita caught him holding a wine bottle in he kitchen.

Rita also expanded her experiences with cooking just for Juno. In the past, she would make food covered in just about anything. Now, she found recipes healthy and easy enough for Juno to enjoy. Ones that she discovered enjoyable as well.

One day, Juno was laying on the couch under four or so blankets. He was watching a movie Rita had told him about the day prior. He let out a small laugh from something occuring on the television, and sat up and stretched.

Then the tide began to rush in.

* * *

"Rita," Juno called out to her. "we have a problem."

Rita, who was organizing her closet, came into the living room holding a clothing hanger. "What is it Boss?"

"The twins are coming."

Rita froze where she stood, and then she began to jump in place. "Mista Steel! We've got to get you to the hospital this instant, and we-"

"Rita, we don't need to go to the hospital right away, we go when the contractions minutes apart."

Rita placed her hands on her hips. "We should just go now to be safe! Are they intense?"

"Not really."

Rita walked over, grabbed Juno's arm, and stood him up. "If ya feeling something, then we are going!"

"Rita, I'm-"

Rita softly pushed Juno towards the door. "We're going! Get in the car and I'll get the bags ready!"

"Fine." There was no arguing with Rita during situations like this.

* * *

They had been there for three hours.

Juno was laying in the hospital bed, and looked at the painting on the wall before him. It was mostly blue, with the sky and a blue morpho flying through it. He then turned his head towards Rita, who was playing a game on her phone that involved cats, he could tell because of the reflection on her glasses of her phone.

A woman came in, presumably a nurse, to present Juno with the recordings. "Mr. Steel, your contractions are almost five to three minutes apart! We are going to transport you to the delivery room and get you ready for the delivery!"

Juno smiled. "Sounds good!"

Time slowed itself down. Minutes felt like hours, which left behind the past and welcomed the future with open arms.

The smell of flowers began to fill the air. It was nature's turn to upgrade Juno. It was updating him, and into something greater. 

A queen?

A hero?

No, it was something more extraordinary than that. Something that would change the way his brain would think, and the way his emotions would release themselves.

Someone better than who he had growing up.

A mother.

* * *

Juno squatted behind the boxes, and brought back his focus to the two tiny creatures before him.

He held up his gun, tried to take a shot at one of them, but he missed. The creatures shot up, screamed, and began to examine the area for the starting point of the shot.

Juno had to move again. Smooth as a snake, he hid behind some more boxes, and took another failed shot.

The two monsters turned their heads towards him and began to charge at him. 

Juno thought this was it. 

He tried to save his friends. 

He tries to save himself.

Yet, he knew couldn't do either of those things.

He took a final shot, missing, but the creatures stopped and began to squirm in place mere inches away from where Juno stood.

They had caught themselves in their own web, and were stuck.

Juno only had a a few seconds to take them out before they got lose.

He lifted his gun once again, and fired.

  
  



	14. Everything Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno won, but at what cost? Is it all he ever dreamed of?

The beam went straight through the head of the monster located to Juno's left. It let out a squeal and fell to the floor. The creature to his right leaned back and pounced at Juno. Instead of letting himself be crushed by the semi-spider, he threw one of the boxes resting in front of him towards the monsters, which hit it right in the head and caused it to fall to the ground.

Juno kept his eye on the creature struggling to regain its balance. He decided now was the time to take it out before it was too late. Juno lifted his gun towards the center of it's head, and fired.

He stood there as he watched the creature shake one or two more times before it was completely still.

The threat was gone, but Juno still didn't feel as if the weight was lifted off of his chest. This thought remained when he went to untangle his family from the sticky mess that was the spider webs.

A feeling of sadness mixed with a small amount regret of not being able stop this nonsense sooner.

Then, there was a sense of warmth.

One that could described as holding someone in your arms and not wanting to let them go.

A sense that Juno hadn't felt in a long time.

* * *

They had been there for 24 hours.

Although Rita thought of it as a too long of a stay for one person, Juno couldn't care less about tracking the time from when they just arrived to this current second.

He had two _very_ important things to focus on.

Juno sat in his hospital bed with one twin in each arm. One was wrapped in in a blue swaddle, and the other a pink one. He hadn't taken his eyes off of them for over ten minutes. Being a new parent did have that effect.

"Aren't they cute?" Juno spoke as the two of them heard a small noise come from one of the babies.

"They sure are boss!"

The twins were fraternal, but from at first glance they looked as though they could be identical. They both had Diamond's type of hair, yet it was the color of Juno's, and they both had eyes a little lighter than Juno's. Their skin was also a mix between Diamond and Juno's. The one thing that was different about them from what the two of them could tell at the time, was their personalities.

The twins weren't as tiny as Juno thought they would be, in fact, they were bigger than he thought. The kind of big in which caused him to ask for every single drug that he was able to be given during the delivery.

Inari, the oldest, was the more cheerful baby of the two of them. He was the one more open to being held and loved to be talked to. The first time he saw Rita he was bonded to her instantly. Inari was also the one to smile most of the time. Juno saw the Benzatien in him, which he was happy about.

Lucina, on the other hand, was the total opposite. She was a quiet who only wanted to be held by her mother, and got upset when in the arms of anyone else. Juno found that it was pretty hard to get to smile. In many ways, she reminded Juno of himself.

* * *

It had gotten cold in the room, so the twins began to shake. Lucina wanted to make it known that her presence was freezing, so she began to make angry newborn noises.

"Rita," Juno spoke out as he looked and found her watching the television, "can you hand me those baby blankets over there to your left?"

Rita turned her body, grabbed the blankets beside her, and got up to hand them to him. "Here you go boss!"

"Thank you, Rita!" Juno took the blankets from her and wrapped them around the twins. They stopped squirming, and Lucina stopped fussing.

Juno still couldn't believe it. After _all_ this time and waiting, they were here. His two little monsters. He promised to them that he would always be there when they needed him. Juno wouldn't let anything happen to them.

All seemed well. He would eventually get back onto his feet, with his own place where the twins could play and grow up. A place where they could make memories Juno never got the chance to growing up.

Time was going to go by in a flash.

Juno was going enjoy it. He was finally given the chance to be happy again. The kind of happy Ben would've wanted.

Then there was a knock on the door.

* * *

Juno had already untied Nureyev and Jet from the web. During the process the two of them had woken up.

Nureyev stood up with his hand on his head. "What the hell?" He turned his head and saw Juno in the process of releasing Buddy from the rope like string.

"Have a nice nap Nureyev?" Juno inquired as he caught Rita before she fell to the ground.

"I suppose you could say that."

Juno sat Rita on her feet and walked past her to untie Buddy. The feeling of warmth began to turn to heat as he walked. It was bad. He wiped his elbow with his arm but to no use.

Something bad was happening.

Something he felt he couldn't control, but, Juno was Juno, and he wasn't going to let himself suffer.

He was going to face it head on.

Whether is was going to benefit or destroy him.

He was tired of dealing with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the song "Everything Changes" from Waitress the Musical.
> 
> \- serenade


	15. Dismantled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tide decided to gain momentum. Will Juno survive, or drown in the process?

Every member of the Carte Blanche, except for Juno, was safely released from the grips of the sticky string they had been trapped inside. They were standing in what seemed like an eternal abyss. It was semi lit, and the lights located towards the hallway Nureyev and Juno entered from had turned themselves back on.

Juno wiped the excess string off of his clothes and sighed. "Is everyone alright?"

"I'm fine," Vespa responded as she turned her head towards the corpses laid on front her. "you really got them good, Steel."

"They were fighters alright," Juno looked the corpses. "good ones too."

Nureyev walked over to Juno and gave him a hug. A warm hug. One that he longed for the entire fight. A hug that told him that it was going to okay. Everything was going to be okay.

Buddy let out a small cough. "I think we better start heading back to the ship. We've got all the supplies we could get. We stole as much as we could. Perda offers us no more."

"You're right," Peter broke the hug that him and Juno shared. "c'mon gang, there's bigger adventures waiting for us at hand!"

The six of them began walking towards the hallway. It was over with. No more memories. No more pain.

Then Juno stopped where he stood.

He then began to feel a wave of emotion flow over him.

No tears, but a sense of loss. The kind of loss that sticks with you until the end of time.

A sense that the THEIA had removed a while ago.

It was beginning to get the better of Juno.

* * *

Juno didn't hear the knock at the door, mostly due to the fact that the twins were in control of his five senses, but Rita did. She looked up from the twins and turned her eyes towards the door. "Come in!"

The knob turned and the the door opened. Two figures dressed in uniforms entered the room. One of them, a woman in a cream colored blouse with a name tag, held a clipboard in one of her arms. The other, a man in a suit and tie, closed the door behind them and sat two baby carriers behind behind where he stood.

Juno had finally broke his focus from the babies to see the figures who had just entered the room with two baby carriers hiding behind them. "What is this?"

The woman, whose name tag read Amber, stepped closer to the bed Juno was sitting in. "Good Afternoon, Mr. Steel. We are from the Hyperion City Protective Services, or HCPS for short, and we've been anonymously notified of a possible case of neglect present in your name."

Juno sat up furiously. "Possible case of neglect? I would never do that to my children!"

"We have also received information that you are a mentally unstable individual, and with that in mind, we've decided to remove the newborn twins from your care and place them in a suitable home for the time being."

Rita stood up from her chair and walked up to Amber who was looking at her clipboard. "I'm sure there was a problem in the system! Why don't we just talk this all out and clear up the misunderstandings?"

Amber looked down to Rita who appeared to be waiting for an answer. "I'm afraid there is nothing to talk about. There documents are final and the family is waiting to welcome the twins home."

Juno held his babies closer to his chest. "No one is taking my babies!"

"We are required to do so ma'am. You pose as a threat."

The twins began to squirm and cry in Juno's arms. "I'm not a threat!"

"Get out!" Rita shouted at the two of them.

"We didn't want to do this the hard way, but I guess we have to." Amber snapped her fingers, and the man standing at the door walked over, pushed Rita out of the way, and grabbed Juno with both his arms as he tried to break free.

"LET ME **GO**! YOU'RE **NOT** TAKING MY BABIES!"

Amber pushed Rita away one last time before she instructed the man to hold Juno tighter as she made her attempts to rip the twins from Juno's grip. Juno began kicking in a attempt to stop her from proceeding any further. He held Inari and Lucina tighter. They cried louder as Juno's grip got tighter.

"LET THEM GO! PLEASE, THEY'RE ALL I HAVE _LEFT_ -"

Juno's strength had gotten the better of him, and caused his arms to cramp, losing all strength he had to fight back. Amber yanked the twins from Juno and got off the bed. Rita tried her, but Amber just pushed her out of the way.

All Juno had in his eyes were tears. He tried pulling forward in an attempt to break free. "NO, PLEASE!"

Amber sat Inari in the blue carrier, and Lucina in the pink one. She opened the door and two more people were waiting outside for them. She handed one carrier to each of them.

They were gone without a moment's notice.

The man let go of Juno and got up from the bed. Juno shot up from the bed and stood tall against Amber, ready to fight her at any second. He stood perfectly still, the only thing moving was his hospital gown. "Give. Them. Back."

"They're gone for good."

"No they're _not_."

"If you want them back," Amber hands Juno a business card, "call this number and set up an appointment."

Juno takes the cars from her and holds it carefully in his hands.

Amber walks over and opens the door. "If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call the number or contact us by e-mail, have a nice day!" With that, she left and closed the door.

Juno stormed over to the door. "I'm going after them."

Rita stopped him. "Mista Steel, this is probably just a misunderstanding! Maybe the got the wrong person! You're getting released tomorrow, so when we get home, we can make a call."

Time froze around Juno. He looked around the room, hoping to notice something that would tell him this was all a dream. He stopped when her turned and saw the two empty bassinets. He fell to his knees and began to sob into his hands. The tears fell between the cracks of his fingers and onto the gown. It was over for him, he thought. He wasn't going to get the twins back. If only he had been stronger. If only he had seen the signs. He blamed himself for everything that happened.

Rita had gotten down onto her knees to comfort her boss. She couldn't even begin to fathom what Juno was going through. She rubbed his back and held him close. Rita wasn't going to leave his side unless he wanted her to.

The room got colder. A kind of coldness some feel when attending a funeral. It didn't require a jacket, but it required comfort. A kind of comfort, so real, that it only occured on these occasions.

This was one of those cases where it didn't matter where it came from, just that it was there.

Something that let the tide run high.

* * *

Juno could no longer hold it in. It was eating him up from the inside, so he decided to let lose. Tears fell down his eyes as he squat to the floor. This was it. This was what this entire things was trying to tell him.

Why didn't it tell him sooner? Juno couldn't put the puzzle pieces together.

Nureyev noticed that Juno wasn't following him, and when he turned to see where he went. He found Juno a broken mess on the floor. "Juno, oh my, what's wrong?" He rushed over to him, and so did the rest of the team.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Boss, you've got a lot a stuff going on, just let it all out, we'll understand."

"No, I don't want to." Juno didn't want them to worry about him. "I'm just tired that's all."

Buddy rubbed Juno's back. "How about we all head back to the ship? I'm sure we're all hungry and could use some rest."

"Sounds good." Jet commented.

"Rita, Ransom, watch over Juno."

Rita gave Buddy a soft smile. "You got it!"

Juno wiped the tears from his face. He tried to get his breathing under control.

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

Everything was going to be okay.

He was going to be okay.


	16. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juno had won the battle. All that was left to do is to pick up the pieces and arrange them into something better.

The carte blanche had found it surprisingly easy to get back to the hospital entrance. There were no more threats lying in their way, except for those who claim they stole from a store or two. The coldness was no longer present in the building as the ones who brought it forth were dead. It was an long awaited relief, but it came with repercussions.

Peter Nureyev stood smiling at the landscape in front of him as he exited the hospital. "Well gang, I'm sure we can all agree that this was one hell of an adventure!"

"Certainly," Buddy responded while repositioning the backpack full of supplies on her back. "we all had our fair share of frights and surprises." She handed Vespa a battery pack and the keys to the ship.

Jet pulled out one of the protein bars he found while him and Rita we searching high and low for items before the monster caught them. "I do believe this is the one experience that we will never forget."

Vepsa had zipped her pocket back up with the keys inside. "I do agree, and thank god no one got hurt."

Rita was holding Juno's hand as they walked back to the ship. She noticed that after a while he had calmed down and was less tense than before. "How are you feeling, boss?"

Juno had his focus on a small flower patch that they were approaching. It reminded him from when they first arrived at Perda, and the flower field he sat in and felt like he could melt into. It was pleasant then, but now all it did was leave a bittersweet taste. "I feel better."

"That's good! You were probably just overly exhausted with everything that was going on!"

"Yeah," Juno spoke, his focus now turned to the ship that felt close, but was still near in distance. "maybe you're right."

* * *

The moment that the two of them got home, the moment that the call had began. Juno frantically put his stuff down and picked up the phone. He had the phone in one hand and the business card in the other.

Juno waited as the phone was connecting to the line, and then he heard a voice starting to speak on the other end.

_"We're sorry, but the number you have attempted to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service."_

As soon as Juno heard that, he turned his head towards Rita. "E-Mail them, now!"

Rita took the card straight from his hand and headed towards the computer located in her room. Juno sat on the couch, pressed his hands towards his mouth, and began to cry. This couldn't be it. That couldn't be the last time they saw him. Juno didn't want his thoughts to drift down that path, but they were trying their hardest to.

He laid his back onto the couch and looked up towards the ceiling. This was all a dream, he thought. In his mind, he thought about waking back up in his hospital bed, the nurse hand him his babies, and his heart overflowing with joy. But, this wasn't the movies. Not everybody got an happy ending.

Rita walked slowly back into the living room, holding the business card in her hands. "Hey, boss, we, uh, have a problem."

Juno sat up as fast as a bullet being shot from a gun. Devastation was building a nest on his face. "What is it?"

"Well," Rita could figure out how to phrase it without hurting Juno. "I looked up the e-mail, and it says it doesn't exist."

A look of anger grew onto Juno's face. "What do you mean 'it doesn't exist'?"

"I looked it up in both the internal and external files, and it was nowhere."

Juno stood up. "Well, go back and look harder! I'm going to give Khan a call and see what he can do."

"Alright boss, I'll be in my room if you need me. I'll keep you updated."

"Sounds like a plan." Juno spoke as Rita went back into the room.

* * *

Juno had been on the phone with Captain Khan for what seemed like hours. It was getting late and they were getting nowhere.

"Well, did you give them a background check Steel?"

"They randomly showed up to my room, told me they work with the HCPS, I wouldn't give them the babies, so one of them held me down and ripped them from my hands."

The sound of a keyboard could be heard on Khan's end of the line. "Did they give you any sort of information, such as a business card or a brochure?"

"They gave me a business card, and when I came home I called them and Rita tried to connect with them through e-mail, but neither of those things worked."

"Hm," More typing could be heard from Khan's computer. "do you know who sent in the report for them to show up?"

"They said it was anonymous."

"Do you have an idea of who it was?"

"Not really."

Khan took a sip of his coffee and continued typing on his computer. "Have you heard from Diamond at all?"

"I have not."

"Before they left, did they say _anything_ to you?"

Juno places his hand on his head. "Yeah, they said that this life isn't what they wanted. At least, not with me. They told me they made the right choice of not staying with me. I tried to stop them before they left, but I lost my strength and they pushed me to the ground."

Captain Khan was writing down everything Juno told him. He heard the heartache in his voice, but decided not to mention it. "Do you know where they went after they left?"

Juno wiped tears from his eyes. "No, not at all."

Khan had heard all he needed to hear. "Well, what I am leading towards is that this is a case of illegal adoption."

"Illegal adoption?" Juno couldn't began to fathom that this possibly happened to his twins.

"Yes, and there is a huge possibility that Diamond was involved."

This was it. Next time Juno saw Diamond, he was going to kill them. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, but we will continue to investigate."

"Thank you, Captain."

"No problem, I'll call you when we discover any new leads or updates."

"Sounds good."

The call ended, and Juno was left alone in the kitchen to the inner thoughts and monologues plaguing his mind

* * *

It had been two months since Juno lost his twins. He had tried everything in his power to get them back, but nothing he did worked. The case was labeled as a "illegal adoption". Juno claimed it could have been a murder, but without enough clear evidence, it was kept as an illegal adoption. Nobody was able to communicate with Diamond.

In those two months Juno had also decides to leave the police department. He thought it was his time to go, so he put in his two week notice and left. He was still looking for a job stable enough to earn the money he needed to get his own place.

It was sunny out, well, as sunny as it could get in Hyperion. Rita was making breakfast, and Juno was sitting at the table in a yellow sundress. He took a sip of his coffee and looked outside. "I was thinking we do more job searching today."

Rita placed two pancakes on Juno's plate. "Oh, come on boss! It's nice outside, how about we go to the park?"

"I have to look for a job, Rita." He took a bite of his pancakes.

"You've sent in like six different applications boss," Rita took a sip of her orange juice. "take the day off. The amount of stuff you've been through is crazy. I think you need a break."

Juno smiled. "Hey, you've got a point. The park is definitely in need of our presence."

The room was silent for a few moments, then Juno spoke again. "Hey Rita?"

She looked up. "Yeah boss?"

"Thank you for everything. I couldn't have done it without you being here and giving me a chance."

Rita smiled and got up to give Juno a hug. "No problem! I'm glad I'm here too."

Juno returned the hug, and it stayed that way for a good few seconds.

It was a moment of pure bliss.

A moment that neither of them would never forget.

* * *

It didn't take the crime family too long to get back to the ship. It was had gotten late, and so most of the crew decided to go to bed.

All of them except for Juno.

He stood in front of a large window. The ship had already been programmed with the next destination, so they were traveling through space, past comets and other planets that could one day welcome them into their arms.

Juno's eyes looked at every star in the distance, every planet in orbit, and thought about their entire existence. Being so far apart, but one day coming together once again. It was something thank Juno longed for as well.

Everything happens for a reason. One day he'll see his twins again, and the same with Benzatien.

He took a sip of his coffee and let out a sigh. Everything was going to be okay.

He was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the fic! It was so much fun to write, and I can't wait for what else is in store! I hope you have a good day/night and stay safe!
> 
> \- serenade

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the musical Spring Awakening and the song "Mama Who Bore Me".
> 
> \- serenade


End file.
